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Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the background of Kitindi?

A. Kitindi is located 180 miles west of Bukavu, the provincial capital of Sud-Kivu. There are close to 70 villages that surround Kitindi within a 60 mile radius. With an estimated population of about 12,000, it is the largest village in the area. The people are warm and welcoming. They have lived through the brutal killings, burned homes, rapes and robberies of marauding Rwandan rebels for almost two decades of war—the Rwanda conflict and DRC civil war. Yet today, as a resilient people with determination, they look to the future hoping to be a beacon for the rest of the surrounding villages. Like many villages in the jungle of the DRC, Kitindi is located on a plateau, with lush greenery and very good soil for crop cultivation and the raising of animals.

Q. What is the strategic importance of Kitindi in the eastern DRC?

A. Kitindi is considered a main village in the eastern DRC. It is the central location—de facto capital—for the surrounding villages, the place where merchants and traders come to do business, thus creating a good opportunity to reach people from other villages on a regular basis. In addition, Kitindi is the ancestral home of Rev. Kalumbula, one of the founders of IBM. He is thought of by villagers and neighbors as a “Very Important Person,” because he left the village and received an education (Graduate/Seminary Degree), and later came back to help his own people. As a “successful son of Kitindi,” he is highly respected and trusted and viewed as a wise person who can make good decisions. This is of critical importance in ensuring that any project gets off the ground in the DRC. The approval and cooperation of village and tribal chiefs is indispensable if anything is going to get done. Kalumbula has both. Finally, Kitindi is flanked on either side by two large rivers creating the future potential for building a small hydro-power installation that could bring electricity to the area.

Q.Why the needs for schools; doesn’t the DRC government provide public schools?

A. Only 1 in 10 children in the Congo receive an education. The great majority of these live in larger cities. “The bush,” which includes Kitindi and surrounding villages do not receive governmental funds for schools.

Q. How is the school supported?

A. It costs $10 per month to educate a child. That includes the cost of books, materials and teacher salaries. Most of the support for the school comes from donations from individuals and churches outside of the DRC. A very small amount, less than 5% comes from within the DRC.

Q. Why is there a need for a Christian Leadership & Pastoral Training Center?

A. As IBM has been evangelizing and planting small churches in the area, the number of believers is growing. The leaders of these churches have at best a minimal grasp of doctrinal, theological, and biblical issues. In order for the Church to grow “Straight and Strong,” its leaders must know how to “…handle and teach the Word of Truth.” The objective of CLPTC is to educate and train these local church leaders and pastors in matters of faith, doctrine, theology, hermeneutics, apologetics, teaching and preaching, and biblical application.

Q. How will the teaching be conducted at CLPTC?

A. Most teaching will be conducted and directed by Rev. Kalumbula, with teaching aids such as videos and cassettes and other long-distance educational programs. In addition, on a regular basis pastors from established churches in Bukavu, other DRC cities, and the United States will be guest instructors leading one and two week seminars.

Q. Why is there a need for an agricultural and animal husbandry program?

A. The poverty in Kitindi and in neighboring villages is staggering. The average Congolese child eats one full meal a day, while parents eat three to four meals a week. If the people of Kitindi and neighboring villages are trained in how to methodically and systematically grow rice, peanuts, cassava, plantain, beans and other food and cash crops, plus raise chickens, rabbits, goats (for milk and meat), they could meet the food and nutritional needs of every person in every village. In addition, they could develop cooperative businesses by selling the excess to merchants in Bukavu.

Q. What organizations are presently supporting IBM?

A. Beyond contributions from private individuals, several churches are supporting the work of IBM. These include: Grace Community Church, Tabernacle Community Church and Trinity Church.